Fernandez & Wells

Delicatessen at 8 Exhibition Road

8 / 10 from 2 reviews

Address
8 Exhibition Road
South Kensington
London
SW7 2HF

Map

History

Telephone
020 7589 7473

Region
South Kensington

Nearest Station
South Kensington
0.06 miles

Category
Delicatessens

Website
http://www.fernandezandwells.com/southken.php

Opening Summary
MONDAY - FRIDAY 8am-10pm
SATURDAY 9am-10pm
SUNDAY 9am-8pm

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From early morning until 10pm you'll find a selection of great coffee, teas, sandwiches and cakes along with our bread, cheese, charcuterie and wine - all of which can be tasted and purchased to take home.

All In London Review

Great for a sophisticated lunch date or an up market afterschool Kensington hang-out...

Love it or hate it, Fernandez and Wells is a stylish place to take one’s coffee. The South Kensington branch is the independent chain’s first foray outside of central London and as usual, the décor is as tasty as the cured hams that hang from the ceiling.

The bar counter is a mouthwatering presentation of all that’s good about deli-cafes. Artisanal pastries, sausage rolls, quiche, jamon, chorizo baguettes, cheese and wine, laid out on black slate slabs like they’re doing their best M&S food porn impression. And to carry on that metaphor, it represents one huge edible turn on. Prices are high – staggeringly so for some items – but this is Fernandez and Wells, which sort of feels like the American Apparel equivalent of the café business. The staff are young and handsome, so that they don’t jar with the pleasing aesthetics of the place. Which are… whitewashed walls, folksy ceramic water jugs, expensive looking wooden benches and kitsch chairs. ‘Get the look’.

In this part of town, Fernandez and Wells is a new entity. The café replaced the V&A Museum’s own Reading Rooms, which could be probably be described as a failure. The new inhabitants have upgraded the style and attracted a more varied clientele but the one nagging doubt about the space is that it still feels a little soulless. The counter room is great, with all the food, wine and aromas of coffee wafting but the seating is in the next room, which can feel cold and dark.

Great for a sophisticated lunch date or an up market after school hang, Fernandez and Wells will settle into its environment. And even if that back room never feels quite right, it’s okay, because you can always use the place as a deli and take away. It’s the produce that really puts Fernandez and Wells on another level.

Reviewed by T.A.O
Published on Sep 20, 2013